Minster



(No Model.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. E. HO IN & E. PERRETT. AP Us FOR GLEANI THE FILTBRING MBDIAOFFILTERS. No. 57. Patented May 5, 1885.

5' Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. E. HODGKIN 85E. PERRETT. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING THE FILTERI NG MEDIAOF FILTERS.

i No. 317,457. Patented May 5,1885.

(No Model.)

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5Sheets-Sl1eet 3;, J. E. HODGKIN & E. PERRETT. APPARATUS FOR CLEANINGTHE FILT ERING MEDIA 0F FILTERS.

No. 317,457. Patented May 5, 1885 miiwwes. /r nrezziard.

u PFTIRS. "mm la-him n. c.

(No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. E. HODGKIN & E. PERRETT. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING THE FILTERING MEDIA0F FILTERS.

N0.317,457. Patented May5,21885.

I 1/ Al/ 1 4 1.1014 00/214406 "(iidfiodeld -6 Sheets--Sh eet 5. I. E.HODGKIN 8v E. PBRRETT.

APPARATUS'FOB CLEANING THE FILTERING MEDIA 0F FILTERS. No. 317,457;Patented May 5,1885

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v a I zzizewzy; Y '6 ZEEEOTJ; y ofi im I j? UNITE STATES JOHN ELIOTHODGKIN, OF LONDON, AND EDWARD PERRETT, OF

MINSTER, ENGLAND.

PATENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS FOR CL EANING THE FILTERING MEDIA OF FILTERS.

SPECIFICATIQNforming part of Letters Patent No. 317,457, dated May 5,1885.

Application filed September 25, 1883- (No model.) Patented in EnglandApril 24, 1883, No. 2,080.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN ELIOT HODG- KIN and EDWARD PERRETT, subjectsof Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, and residing, respectively,at Queen Victoria street, in the city of London, England, and atVictoria Chambers, in the city of Westminster, England, engineers, haveinvented a new and useful Apparatus for Cleaning the Filtering Media ofFilters, (for which we have received Letters Patent in England, No.2,080, dated April 24, A.D. 1883,) of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning the loosely-packedfiltering media or materials-such as sand, charcoal, or the likeoffilters which have become choked or dirty by the passage of the liquidduring filtration through such materials; and it consists, essentially,as hereinafter particularly set forth and claimed,in an apparatus foreffecting the cleansing of such like filtering materials by passingcurrents of air or other elastic fluid through them in the form ofbubbles, either continuously or intermittently, while covered with waterin the filter, thereby disturbing the filtering material and looseningthe dirt adhering thereto, which dirt is carried away while inmechanical suspension by a current of water supplied for that purposefrom any convenient source.

To carry our invention into effect we combine with the filter anair-pump, driven by hand or by power, for forcing the air or otherelastic fluid in the form of bubbles through the said loosely-packedfiltering materials while covered with water in the filter, the saidair-pump being attached to or placed at any convenient distance from thefilter to be cleaned and connected directly with the lower part of thefilter by a pipe or air-duct; or we combine with the filter a water-jetnozzle and cock for inducing air or elastic fiuid and forcing it in theform of bubbles through the loosely-packed filtering materials or wecombine with the filter a pipe and cock or .valve through which a columnof water is caused to descend at intervals, and thereby force the air orelastic fluid in the form of bubbles through the said filteringmaterials in the filter. In

those cases where a reciprocating or a plunger pump or displacer isemployed for imparting an alternating movement to a body of waterthrough the filtering medium for the purpose of cleaning the same, asdescribed in the specification to the British Letters Patent of EdwardPerrett, dated August 22, A. D. 1882, No. 4,028, our said process ofcleaning the said loosely-packed filtering materials while covered withwater in the filter may be carried out by causing the air or otherelastic fluid to be forced through the filtering materials by the actionof the pump or displacer itself v,

which gives motion to the said body of water, such displacer, by thecombination therewith of an air-inlet valve, being made to draw in airand force it through the filtering materials at each stroke; or thedisturbing current or currents of air or other elastic fluid can bepassed in the form of bubbles through the filtering medium, inconjunction with a body of water caused to circulate through the filterby the action of a centrifugal or other pump.

Our said invention may be thus obviously carried out by variousmechanical arrangements, some of which are hereinafter described andillustrated in the accompanying draw-.

ings, in which similar letters referto similar parts throughout theseveral figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 a

corresponding plan, of a filter packed with loose sand, charcoal, andthe like, showing the apparatus attached for cleansing the filteringmaterials by forcing currents of air in the form of bubbles through suchmaterials while covered with water in the filter. Fig.3 is a verticalsection, and Fig. 4 a corresponding sectional plan, of a filter packedwith loose filtering materials, and having a modified arran gementattached for forcin g air in the form of bubbles through the filteringmaterials while loosely-packed filtering materials while covered withwater in the filter, for the purpose specified; and Fig. 8 illustratesthe mode of applying the same to a filter. Fig. 9 is a vertical sectionof the filter, showing the application thereto of a steaminjector forinducing and forcing the air in the form of bubbles through thefiltering materials. Fig. 10 is a corresponding plan of the same.

a is the body of the filter; b, the filtering material, (consisting ofsand, charcoal, or the like,) loosely packed therein, supported on theperforated plate or wiregauze sheet 0, and in some cases, if founddesirable, a similar perforated plate orwiregauze sheet, d, may beplaced a little distance above the filtering material.

c is the supply-pipe for the air or other elastic fluid, opening intothe filter by an expanded mouth,f, underneath a perforateddistributingplate, 9, and communicating with the air-pump h,(here shownas mounted directly upon the body of the filter,) and worked by ahand-lever, 1', although the said pump may obviously be worked by powerfrom a crank or eccentric, if preferred.

is an air-inlet valve opening into thepumpbarrel, and h, Fig. 1, is aneduction-valve openin g into the air-supply pipe 6.

l is a pipe for the inlet of the unfiltered water into the top of thefilter from an overhead tank or otherwise, and m is the washoutpipe,these pipes communicating with the upper part of the filter through atwo-way or other suitable cook or valve, 02.

0 is the outlet-pipe and cook for the filtered water, the said pipecommunicating by preference with an overhead tank (not shown in thedrawings) above the levei of the filtering material, so as to keep italways covered with water.

When the filter is at work, the cock or valve n is so turned or adjustedas to shut off the washout-pipe m and open the inlet-pipe l, the cleanwater passing out through the outletpipe and cook at 0 and rising to theoverhead tank or cistern for its reception where used.

When it is required to clean the filtering material, the cook a is soturned as to shut off for the time being the inlet-pipe l and open thewashoutpipe at. Air or other elastic fluid is then forced in the form ofbubbles through the filtering material by working the air-pump 71-,thereby disturbing the said material and the impurities adhering theretoand allowing the impurities to be separated, such impurities while inmechanical suspension in the water being carried off back through thewashout-pipe m by a current of clean water admitted for that purposethrough the pipe 0 or otherwise.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, and Fig. 4 a corresponding sectional plan,of filter, with which are combined an air-inlet valve, 1), perforatedair-pipes q, and a reciprocating or a plungerpump or water-displacer, r,connected with the lower part of the filter through the pipe, 8.

The reciprocating movement of the body of water caused by the displacerr is made to draw in air or other elastic fluid through the inlet-valvep and perforated pipes q and force it through the filteringmaterial' ateach stroke.

As the liquid above the filtering material cannot pass as quicklythrough the material as the outward stroke of the pump draws the liquidaway from below the material, a vacuous space is formed immediatelybelow the material, into which the external air rushes through the inletor check valve 12, and, as this air cannot escape, it is necessarilyforced by the inward stroke of the pump up through thefilteringmaterial.

Fig.5 is a sectional detail of an arrangement for carrying out our saidinvention, wherein the air or other elastic fluid is induced and forcedeither continuously or intermittently through the filtering material bythe action of an air-inducing jet of water or other liquid.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the mode of applying the same. The pipe 0and cock 0 communicate with an overhead clean-water tank and open at thelower end by a jet-nozzle, t, into the pipe 8, leading to the bottom ofthe filter, an air-inlet valve, 1), being provided for admitting the airor elastic fluid which is induced by the jet from the nozzle and forcedalong with the water into the filter and through the filtering material.B y alternately opening and closing the cock 0, the air may, if desired,be forced in intermittently. V

Fig. 7 illustrates another modification of apparatus for carrying outour said invention, and Fig. 8 the mode of applying the same, wherebythe forcing of the air or other elastic fluid in the form of bubblesthrough the filtertering material is effected intermittently by themomentum of a descending column ofwater in the pipe 0, leading from anoverhead tank.

0 is a slide or other valve which is to be alternately opened and closedby a hand-lever or otherwise, the air entering the pipe 8 through theinlet-valve p when the slide 0 is closed, and being forced into thefilter by the descending column of water when the slide is opened.

In Figs. 9 and 10 we have shown the application of a steam-jet orordinary injector apparatus to the filtering-vessel for injecting theair requisite for cleaning the filtering materials according to ourinvention. a is the filtering-vessel; b, the filtering material,consisting of loose sand, charcoal, and the like. 0 is the perforatedplate or wire-gauze sheet for supporting the same and allowing the airto pass through the loose filtering materials in the form of bubbles. cis the supply-pipe for the air or other elastic fluid; f, the expandedmouth thereof, opening into the bottom of thefiltrin gvessel. 1 is thepipe for the inlet of the unfiltered water, fitted with an ordinary cockof its own; m, the washout-pipe, also fitted with a separate cock of itsown; 0, the outlet-pipe and cook for the filtered water. 0' is aseparate pipe and cook for admitting a current of clean IIO or washingwater from an overhead tank or other source of supply up through theloose filtering materials in company with the air or other elasticfluid, for the purpose specified. The air is induced into the pipe 6 andforced through the perforated plate a and loose filtering materials I),resting thereon, by the action of a steam-jet admitted through thesteampipe u into an ordinary air-injector, v, the air entering the pipee by the openings w w, as shown by the arrows, and being forced by thesteam along the pipe e and up through filtering materials, which itpermeates in the form of numerous small bubbles while covered with thewater in the filter. When it is required to clean the filteringmaterials the inlet-pipe l is shut off, the washout m opened, the steamis turned on through the injector by the pipe u, and clean washing-water is admitted through the pipe 0' from below upward through theloose submerged filtering materials, thereby carrying away theimpurities disturbed by the air-bubbles and allowing them to flow offthrough the washout-pipe m.

We do not claim the process of cleaning loosely-packed filteringmaterial in filters consisting in passing currents of elastic fluidthrough it in the form of bubbles and while said material is coveredwith water, thereby loosening and mechanically suspending theimpurities, and finally removing the impurities by acurrent of waterwhile so suspended.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-- 1. The combination, with a filtering vessel packed withloose sand, charcoal, or other like substantially in the manner and forthe pur pose hereinbefore specified.

2. The combination, with a filtering-vessel packed with loose sand,charcoal, or other like filtering material, of a perforated orwire-gauze diaphragm supporting the same off of the bottom of saidvessel, a forcing apparatus connected to said vessel beneath-thefiltering material by a pipe for forcing an elastic fluid in the form ofbubbles through said filtering material, a pipe supplying a reversedcurrent of washing-water through the said material, and a washout-pipesituated above said material to insure-its being always covered withwater in the filter during the operation of cleaning, substantially asshown and described.

In witness whereof wehave signed our names in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN ELIOT HODGKIN. EDWARD PERRETT.

Witnesses:

EDWIN P. ALEXANDER,

36 Southampton Buildings, London. J OHN DEAN,

l7 Graccchm'ch street, London.

